Various and sundry products are packaged for sale to consumers in boxes, bottles and the like. In most instances, it has been the practice to apply pre-printed labels to such product packaging. Typically, such labels have an adhesive coating on the back surface thereon to adhere the label to the product package. The front surface of these labels is usually pre-printed with indicia to impart information about the product to consumers and other interested persons.
For many applications, such as pharmaceuticals, it is considered desirable to cover the printed surface of such labels with a clear plastic film. It is also desirable with some products, e.g. pharmaceuticals, to include with the product an information booklet containing considerably more information about the product than can be imprinted on the label. A label having a clear plastic film outer layer and an imprintable inner layer has been proposed and in which a pocket is provided in the label. The informational booklet is removably contained in this pocket.
While such prior labels have been successful in solving certain problems, they have deficiencies and disadvantages which have limited their adoption and use. Among these deficiencies and disadvantages is the problem of printing additional indicia on the label at or near the time of application of the labels to the packages. In many labeling operations, there is a need or requirement that additional indicia, such as specific lot numbers, expiration dates, etc., be printed on the label at or near the time of label application. However, the plastic film covering the imprintable layer of the label can not be readily imprinted. Accordingly, users of these prior labels have had to take special steps to add such indicia to the product package since it could not be printed on the label.
With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a label which overcomes the deficiencies and disadvantages of labels heretofore available.